Safety razors come in various styles and flavors, from thesafety razor heads, to the handles, to the materials that comprise them. How a razor blade is designed is not only up to personal preferences, but the razor blade design can also impact things like blade gap or the adjustability of the razor itself.

The Butterfly Double Edge Safety Razor

Considered perhaps the easiest safety razor to load, the butterfly safety razor is a single-piece, top-loading razor. Today’s top-loading butterfly safety razors are reminiscent of yesteryear’s classic Gillette razors. Using the base of the handle, unscrew the head of the razor and place the double-edge (DE) blade into the head of the razor.

The Two Piece Double Edge Safety Razor

The two piece double edge safety razor typically includes a screw-bottom that releases the head from the razor handle. The head includes a threaded rod that typically inserts into the handle between 25% and 50% down the shaft. The head is made of a single piece that looks like this (Merkur 38c):

The Three Piece Double Edge Safety Razor

With three-piece double edge safety razors, the head is comprised of two separate pieces that stack one on top of the other, with the blade resting in between. The screw threading resides at the top of the razor blade handle and screws into the top piece of the head.

Determining whether you use a single piece, butterfly safety razor, a two piece safety razor or a three-piece razor is more based on personal preference than any other factor. All three types of razors can provide the superior shave over their cartridge counterparts, but have some differing nuances that you may not be familiar with.

But how will you determine which version is the best for you? Do you borrow one version of each from a friend? Do you buy an inexpensive version of each and run a test? Your call.